CONVENTION REPORT: ConCarolinas 2015 (Concord, NC)

That little slogan rang entirely true this weekend. As one who has attended conventions for 15+ years, this little convention nestled just due north of Charlotte, NC delivered on that moniker. This was Nerd Nation Magazine‘s first time officially attending this particular convention (though Dave Harlequin had been swearing by it for years) and I found it to be well laid out, housed in the convention center of an Embassy Suites hotel, all on one floor, the room labels and locations were easy to read and find to the point where if you did not have a schedule, it was not a total loss. The bane of tons of conventions was also a non-issue, there was lots of walking space! I found the vendors room small-ish, yet filled with genuine diversity of the fandom world, the diversity of the film fest also impressed me. Special Guests Joel Hodgson (of MST3K fame), Michael Hogan (of Battlestar Galactica), and Doug Jones (of the Hellboy franchise, Silver Surfer, Pan’s Labyrinth, etc.) were all fantastic, personable, and really resonated with fans throughout the weekend. The ConCarolinas Film Festival was also a very bright spot in the weekend, showing several great films across every genre, and often featuring Q&A’s with the filmmakers themselves (including the world premiere of the fan film: Doctor Who: Lucky 13, that our own Dave Harlequin served as producer and co-writer on). The other thing that I was impressed with, is something that EVERY convention should have, but sadly falls into clique-like behavior; it was SOCIAL. People were having fun talking to total strangers and making new friends,
discussions of any and everything could be heard during the night-time hours, which are eventful themselves. If you are looking for a small convention with a fun and open atmosphere, then you should try ConCarolinas.